The research was carried out by Dr Ian Collen, Director of the Northern Ireland Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (NICILT) in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s.  

This is the third report by the British Council into language trends in Northern Ireland. The 2023 report follows on from research in 2021, which found that language lessons were ‘hardest hit’ during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The key findings include: 

• Decline in language learning has plateaued at post-primary – with Spanish now the most popular language at both A-level and GCSE;  
• Irish has replaced French as the second most popular language at A-level; 
• Language teaching in primary schools is recovering following the Covid-19 pandemic; 
• Most pupils do not see languages being part of their future career, with just 14.2 per cent of those surveyed expressing any likelihood of using languages in the future;  
• Motivation for language learning in Year 9 is still high with most young people (74%) enjoying languages at Key Stage 3; 
• The gap in language uptake continues to widen between grammar schools and secondary schools;  
• Almost one in five (19%) of Year 9 pupils would like to learn Italian at school.  

 

Speaking about the research findings, Dr Collen from Queen’s said: “Following years of decline, language learning in Northern Ireland has stabilised. Whilst other UK jurisdictions and Ireland are investing in language learning, there is an urgent need to start similar endeavours in Northern Ireland to ensure we have a multilingual workforce ready to grow our economy.  

“It would be timely to overhaul curriculum content and assessment of languages to better reflect the lives of young people today, and offer appropriate vocational qualifications in languages through progression pathways for all learners.”   

Other key findings show that German figures continue to decline, with the subject offered only in 17 per cent of responding schools at Key Stage 3, and nearly a 50 per cent decrease in uptake at GCSE from 2002 to 2022.  

Outside the ‘big four’ languages, schools offer several languages as part of extra-curricular or enrichment subjects at Key Stage 4, including Polish, Portuguese, Arabic and Mandarin, with a growing number of schools offering newcomer pupils the opportunity to take exams in their home or community languages (63.2% of schools in 2023 compared to 56.3% in 2021). Despite this, there has been a sharp decline in the uptake of these languages at GCSE during the pandemic. 

Of the schools not teaching languages, 20 have done so in the past five years. The main reasons for ceasing to teach primary languages were lack of funding, lack of expertise within the school and lack of external support and/or teaching resources. 

When asked if languages should be statutory at Key Stage 3, 84 per cent of responding schools agreed, with Northern Ireland remaining the only part of the UK and Ireland where pupils at primary school do not have an entitlement to learn a language as part of the curriculum. 

Jonathan Stewart, Director, British Council Northern Ireland, he said: “This latest Language Trends research gives us cause for optimism. With positive signs of recovery in the primary school sector and a plateau in the decline of languages in post-primary schools, there is much to be encouraged by.  

“Our increasingly multicultural society makes it more important than ever to promote languages in our schools, equipping young people with the skills they need to thrive in future careers. Strong language skills enhance communication and interpersonal skills, expand career opportunities, and develop intercultural awareness.   

“The British Council remains dedicated to working with schools and educators to make language learning a priority and to help our young people succeed in an increasingly interconnected world.”  
 
To read the full report and find out more about Language Trends Northern Ireland, visit: https://nireland.britishcouncil.org/programmes/education/language-trends-northern-ireland 

Media

Media enquiries to Zara McBrearty at Queen's Communications Office on email: z.mcbrearty@qub.ac.uk